Bombs exploded outside five churches in Baghdad and mortar rounds hit near a hospital and a hotel frequented by foreigners, as US forces loosened a cordon around the Sunni insurgent stronghold of Fallujah after several days of clashes with rebels there.
Meanwhile yesterday, the US military said the deadline for Shiite militiamen to turn in their weapons in the Baghdad district of Sadr City had been extended for two days. Friday had been the deadline for militiamen loyal to radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to exchange guns for cash under a deal to end weeks of fighting with US troops there.
PHOTO: AFP
Once the handover is complete, the US military will verify that no major weapons caches remain and Iraqi forces will assume responsibility for security in Sadr City. The US hopes the deal will enable them to focus on the more dangerous Sunni Muslim insurgency.
But over the last couple of days their fears have been more immediate: that like last year, insurgents will ratchet up violence in timing with Ramadan, which Iraqi Sunni Muslims and many Shiites began on Friday. Other Iraqi Shiites started fasting yesterday.
In Fallujah, the center of the Sunni insurgency, residents said the Americans had relaxed a cordon they threw up around the city after stepped up air and ground attacks this week against insurgents, including some said to be loyal to the terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
US troops were allowing residents to leave the city through the northern exit and people were walking freely about the streets yesterday, residents said.
US jets and artillery had pounded targets in the southern and eastern part of Fallujah around sundown Friday as residents were taking the traditional meal that breaks the daily fast during Ramadan.
One resident, Salah Abd, said American troops had sealed off major roads out of the city, 65km west of Baghdad, preventing residents from leaving.
The attacks began Thursday after peace talks between the Iraqi officials and city leaders broke down over the government's demand that they hand over al-Zarqawi, believed responsible for suicide bombings and beheading foreign hostages.
Also See Story:
Iraqi juvenile center offers a bleak home for inmates
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
RSS